Al-Qur'an Surah Ya-Sin Verse 40

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Neither it is for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day. Each one is floating in an orbit.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon,[[ The moon completes a cycle every month (waxing and waning), while the sun takes a whole year to complete its cycle (resulting in the spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons). ]] nor does the night outrun the day. Each is travelling in an orbit of their own.

Ruwwad Translation Center

It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon, nor for the night to outstrip the day. Each is floating in its own orbit.

A. J. Arberry

It behoves not the sun to overtake the moon, neither does the night outstrip the day, each swimming in a sky.

Abdul Haleem

The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day: each floats in [its own] orbit.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

It is not permitted to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day: each in an orbit, they float.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day; Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).

Abul Ala Maududi

Neither does it lie in the sun's power to overtake the moon nor can the night outstrip the day. All glide along, each in its own orbit.

Ahmed Ali

Neither can the sun overtake the moon, nor the night outpace the day: Each of them keeps coursing in its orbit.

Ahmed Raza Khan

It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon, nor does the night surpass the day; and each one of them floats in its orbit.

Ali Quli Qarai

Neither it behooves the sun to overtake the moon, nor may the night outrun the day, and each swims in an orbit.

Ali Ünal

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. All (the celestial bodies and systems) float in an orbit (determined for each).

Amatul Rahman Omar

It is not given to the sun to attain to (the purpose ordained for) the moon, nor is it given to the night to outstrip the day. All of these (luminaries) go on floating smoothly in an orbit (of their own).

English Literal

The sun should not (be) to it that it catches up/overtakes/reaches the moon, and nor the night (is) surpassing/preceding the daytime, and each (is) in (an) orbit/circuit floating.

Faridul Haque

It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon, nor does the night surpass the day; and each one of them floats in its orbit.

Hamid S. Aziz

Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; and all float on in their own orbits.

Hilali & Khan

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And the moon, We have ordained for it stages till it becomes again as an old dry palm-branch.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; and all float on in a sphere.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit.

Muhammad Sarwar

how the sun is not supposed to catch-up with the moon, nor is the night to precede the day. All of them are to float in a certain orbit;

Qaribullah & Darwish

The sun shall not outstrip the moon, nor shall the night outstrip the day. Each is floating in an orbit.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.

Wahiduddin Khan

The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day: each floats in [its own] orbit.

Talal Itani

The sun is not to overtake the moon, nor is the night to outpace the day. Each floats in an orbit.

Tafsir jalalayn

It does not behove -- it is [neither] facilitated nor is it right for -- the sun to catch up with the moon, and so appear together with it at night, nor may the night outrun the day, and thus it [the night] never arrives before the latter ends and each (kullun; the nunation compensates for the [missing] genitive annexation [that would have been constructed] with al-shams, `the sun', al-qamar, `the moon', and al-nujm, `the stars') [of these] is in an orbit, swimming, moving -- these [celestial bodies] are being treated as [though they were] rational beings.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

لَاا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon,

Mujahid said,

"Each of them has a limit which it does not transgress or fall short of. When the time of one comes, the other goes away, and when the time for one to prevail comes, the time of the other ceases."

Ikrimah said concerning the Ayah,
لَاا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ
(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon),

this means that each of them has its time when it prevails. So it is not appropriate for the sun to rise at night.

وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ

nor does the night outstrip the day.

means, after night has passed, it is not right for another night to come until it has been day. The authority of the sun is during the day and the authority of the moon is at night.

Ad-Dahhak said,

"The night does not depart from here until the day comes from here -- and he pointed to the east."

Mujahid said;
وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ
(nor does the night outstrip the day),

"They seek one another rapidly."

The meaning is that there is no gap between night and day; each of them follows the other with no interval, because they have been subjugated and are both constantly pursuing one another.

وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ



They all float, each in an orbit.

means, night and day, the sun and the moon, all of them are floating, i.e., revolving, in their orbits in the heaven.

This was the view of Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and `Ata' Al-Khurasani.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others among the Salaf said,

"In an orbit like the arc of a spinning wheel.